FacebookXYouTubeInstagramLinkedIn

Innovation Isn’t Enough: A Dialysis Patient’s Case for Real Access

2026-06-10T16:02:38-04:00June 10th, 2026|Categories: Quality of Life, Staying Healthy, The Kidney Citizen, Treatment|

Pesh Patel, DPC Patient Ambassador In 2017, I was visiting Melbourne, Australia as part of my career as a global hospitality executive. While walking around the city, I suddenly had to stop four separate times over the course of just three city blocks because I couldn’t breathe. I thought I was out of shape. What I didn’t know was that I had been living with a single kidney since birth, and that kidney was functioning at 2%. If I hadn’t gone to the ER when I did, I would have died within 20 hours. Two hours later, I was [...]

Patient Stories are the “Secret Sauce”

2026-06-10T15:51:14-04:00June 10th, 2026|Categories: Quality of Life, Staying Healthy, The Kidney Citizen, Treatment|

Elizabeth Lively, DPC Eastern Region Advocacy Director Pamela Zielske, DPC Western Region Advocacy Director Does advocacy have a “secret sauce” for success? Are there tactics and tools that an organization needs to consider as strategies are developed to get legislation passed? What does success look like? How does optimism and the cumulative impact of advocacy work impact positive outcomes? Dialysis Patient Citizens (DPC) began a Medigap (Medicare Supplement) campaign in 2022 supporting legislation in the states to provide premium protected Medigap coverage to ESRD patients under-age 65. This campaign supports DPCs goals of improved financial security, increased [...]

Kidney Innovators Highlight New Therapies, Medicare Challenges at Congressional Hearing

2026-06-10T15:19:13-04:00June 10th, 2026|Categories: Quality of Life, Staying Healthy, The Kidney Citizen, Treatment|

Jackson Williams, DPC Vice President of Public Policy On March 18, 2026, the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health held a hearing titled “Improving Kidney Health Through Better Prevention and Innovative Treatment”. This hearing allowed patients, providers, and other stakeholders to highlight the struggles many kidney patients face and the barriers that prevent them from accessing better, innovative treatment. This was exciting for kidney care advocates, as challenges have mounted since Congress last addressed kidney health in 2008. Better still, the questions from Members of Congress demonstrated that committee leaders understand those challenges and potential solutions. They are [...]

Innovation, Hope, and the Gift of a Second Chance – A Gift That Rewrites a Life

2026-06-10T14:50:39-04:00June 10th, 2026|Categories: Dialysis, Kidney Transplant, Medication, Mental Health, Quality of Life, Staying Healthy, The Kidney Citizen, Treatment|

C. Andre’ Daniels, DPC Patient Ambassador Hope is not passive. It is not a soft sentiment or wishful thinking. For patients living with End-Stage Renal Disease, hope is often an act of discipline. It is the decision to keep going through the fatigue, the uncertainty, the appointments, the waiting, and the fear. It is the choice to believe that even in the face of illness--innovation, faith, and human generosity can come together to rewrite a life. I know this because I have lived it. When I woke up after my kidney transplant, I knew immediately that my life had [...]

Dialysis patients are missing out on new therapies due to Medicare’s ESRD payment structure

2026-06-10T14:44:40-04:00June 10th, 2026|Categories: Costs for Treatment, Medication, Quality of Life, Staying Healthy, The Kidney Citizen, Treatment|

Quiana Bishop, DPC Board President While dialysis treatments sustain life for people with kidney failure, they cannot replace all of the many functions of a healthy kidney. Patients rely on medications to address certain symptoms. As of January 1, 2025, all of these medications are included in the ESRD prospective payment system bundle and dialysis facilities are given the responsibility of dispensing them. This arrangement saves money for Medicare, but it does so by creating a profile for an “average patient” and discouraging expenditures on anyone else. As we know, there’s no such thing as an “average” patient, with [...]

Hope, Innovation, and Life Reimagined

2026-06-10T14:38:05-04:00June 10th, 2026|Categories: Kidney Transplant, Quality of Life, Staying Healthy, The Kidney Citizen, Treatment|

Albert Bailey Brisbane III, DPC Patient Ambassador I was a teenager when I first heard the word dialysis. In 1981, my father suddenly became critically ill while at work and was rushed to the hospital, where he passed away two weeks later. I remember being told that he refused dialysis. I didn’t know what dialysis was, only that my hero was gone forever. Years later, I heard that word again — dialysis. This time, it was my mother. Her experience came suddenly, and she began emergency dialysis in the hospital. In that moment, my sister and I didn’t think [...]

Muffins Sorpresa de Limón y Arándanos Azules

2026-04-22T13:31:58-04:00April 22nd, 2026|Categories: Recipes, Spanish Materials, Staying Healthy, The Kidney Citizen|

Receta de Fanny Sung Whelan, MS, RDN, LDN Tiempo de preparación: 10 min Tiempo de cocción: 10 min Tiempo total: 20 min Porciones: 9 Ingredientes: • 3 huevos medianos • 3 cucharadas aceite • ¼ taza crema espesa para batir (heavy cream) • 1 ¼ tazas de proteína en polvo de suero de leche (whey) con sabor vainilla • 2 cucharaditas polvo para hornear • 5 sobres de Splenda (o endulzante de tu preferencia) • ¼ cucharadita canela • 1 cucharada ralladura de limón • ½ taza arándanos azules (blueberries) • 3 oz queso crema, cortado en 9 cubos Instrucciones: [...]

National Minority Health Month and National Donate Life Month

2026-04-08T13:20:41-04:00April 8th, 2026|Categories: eNews, Kidney Transplant, Quality of Life, Staying Healthy, Treatment|

Both events are celebrated in April and are designed to bring awareness about various illnesses and encourage individuals to concentrate on maintaining healthy lifestyles. When individuals are in tune with their bodies, this may help to identify and/or prevent a potential bigger problem. Awareness and education are essential when medical issues arise!  Ask questions, stay informed—be encouraged! The following information is retrieved from Black Health Matters (www.blackhealthmatters.com) and Donate Life America (www.donatelife.net). National Minority Health Month (Retrieved from: www.blackhealthmatters.com) What is National Minority Health Month? Observed every April, National Minority Health Month (NMHM) calls attention to and works to eliminate [...]

Toggle Sliding Bar Area
Go to Top